How Did Polygamy Begin in the LDS Church?

LDS Perspective

The practice of plural marriage, or polygamy, began in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints through divine revelation to the Prophet Joseph Smith in the early 1840s. Latter-day Saints believe that the marriage of one man and one woman is the Lord’s standing law of marriage, but as in biblical times, the Lord commanded some to practice plural marriage for specific purposes. The revelation on plural marriage, recorded in Doctrine and Covenants 132, emerged partly from Joseph Smith’s study of the Old Testament in 1831. Latter-day Saints understood that they were living in the “dispensation of the fulness of times,” when ancient principles—such as prophets, priesthood, and temples—would be restored to the earth. Plural marriage, practiced by ancient patriarchs like Abraham, Isaac, J

Historical Perspective

# The Origins of Polygamy in the LDS Church Polygamy, or plural marriage, began in the LDS Church under its founder Joseph Smith. Historical evidence documents Smith's first known plural marriage to Fanny Alger around 1833–1835, a relationship that was kept secret and later described by Smith's contemporary Oliver Cowdery as a "dirty, nasty, filthy affair"—suggesting even early associates viewed it with suspicion. The practice was not publicly acknowledged by church leadership for nearly two decades. Smith eventually codified the doctrine in a July 1843 revelation, now known as Doctrine and Covenants Section 132, which commanded plural marriage as an eternal principle and threatened destruction for those who refused to obey it. This revelation stated that plural marriage was a "new and an